OCR Text |
Show rouline nit iuiis. There Is ono rulo on tho books that doesn't reach two members of tho Baltimore Bal-timore team. It Is tho rulo In regard to touting oft baits Intentionally. Hughlo Jennings and Billy Kceler can foul a ball almost any tlmo they want, and do It without resorting to tho bunt. They did It In a closo gamo against tho Beds last season, and against n pitcher lett cool and deliberate delib-erate than Stilt Bill Hill, tholr trick might havo brought disaster to tbo Beds. Several timet Jennings and Kcoler wont to the plato bent on got-ting got-ting their baso on balls. Tlmo after tlmo when Hill put tho ball over tho heart of tho plate they would foul It, In order to keep from having a atrlko called. It was tho old Arlle Latham, Illondle, Purccll and Mlko Kelly trick ot leaving tho bad ono go by and fouling foul-ing off the good ones. A rule was passed years ago to cut oft thes'o tricky players, and It was successful. They used to foul 'cm by the bunting route, and It was easy to tell whon they wcro breaking tho rules. Jennings and Kceler havo n way of beating tho rulo. They don't foul balls oft by bunting Tbo swing at tho ball with all their might. They cither "pull tho ball around" foul or prop themselves so that tt will bo fouled foul-ed to tho right. In ono of their last Cincinnati games they made Hill pitch about twice as much as ho should. At one time at tho bat Jennings fouled oft ten strikes. Whllo (laffncy might havo suipoctod that they wero trying to embarrass Hill, It was a hard matter to say positively posi-tively they wcro doing It lritontlonally. Ho should at least havo warned them. Those who know the ability of Jennings Jen-nings and Kceler to hit a ball foul when they want to know that thoy work this trick. It Is an unfalrman-nor unfalrman-nor of playing. Tho- rulo was passed In tbo first place becauso PurcelL,La tham and Uio Into Mlko Kelly wero about the only players who could do It. Cbey had bad a monopoly on the trick, and tho players of other teams wero nt a disadvantage. Jennings nhd Kceler now havo a hunch over othor players. There should bo tome rulo to reach them. Captain Ewlng Insisted thnt Umpire Oalfnoy should havo called them down, Umpjro Gaffney Insisted that ho could not do It becauso they did not bunt tbo ball. Captain Ewlng claims tho rule does not say anything about bunt, log. |